Inesite is a striking manganese silicate prized by collectors for its vibrant pink to reddish-pink color and distinct radiating crystal sprays. It is most commonly found as dense, spherical or sheaf-like aggregates in hydrothermal veins, particularly within manganese-rich metamorphic environments.
Is this inesite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch inesite with a known reference. Inesite sits at Mohs 5.5-6 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Inesite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Inesite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, reddish-pink, brownish-pink.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: radiating clusters, spherical aggregates, bladed crystals.
Often confused with
Inesite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside inesite
Minerals reported to co-occur with inesite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂Mn₇Si₁₀O₂₈(OH)₂·5H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6
- Density
- 3.03 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Radiating Clusters, Spherical Aggregates, Bladed Crystals
- Cleavage
- Perfect in One Direction
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Specimen
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins in Manganese Deposits
- Typical price
- $20-200 for thumbnail to cabinet specimens
Where rockhounds find inesite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Halsbrücke, Saxony, Germany
- Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
- Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa
- Kyaukse, Mandalay, Myanmar
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins in manganese deposits country — that is the host setting where inesite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, apophyllite, datolite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a radiating clusters, spherical aggregates, bladed crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in California — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find inesite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
